Sometimes it’s good to rant. Other times, not so much

Jun 29, 2017 | 6:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — In the media, we sometimes speak before we know of what we speak. And then we have to issue retractions, or, to save face, I call them “clarifications.” Either way you look at it, we have an obligation to ensure we get things right, or as right as we are able after trying to get the facts. 

Earlier this week, I wrote a column about recycling. I was critical of the City for putting a sticker on my recycling bin, and I was of the opinion it was a tag to tell me that I had put something incorrectly in my recycling, but the sticker didn’t tell me what that was. I said “that’s just stupid,” and a few other things besides. (You can read the original column here.)

I found out, after the fact, that what I had on my recycling container was not a “tag,” telling me I had done something wrong, but simply a sticker that was part of the educational campaign by the City to tell people what goes in the recycling and what doesn’t. I have never had a tag so I didn’t know what one looked like.

I think part of the problem was that we have done so much promoting the fact that the City was going to issue tags to people who put the wrong stuff in their recycling, that when I got this sticker, I assumed I had done something wrong. Now, in defence of myself, as I am trying to avoid eating crow here. If the City had indicated they were going to be putting the educational stickers on the containers, that might have helped. However, my bad, and in the interest of fairness, I think the correct information needs to be put out there.

I have no issue with the City going through my recycling and checking it out. That’s their right and if they spot something wrong, they should tell us. That’s how we will learn.

I also found out some more about the soft plastic issue that people are complaining about. From 2008- 2013, soft plastic was not allowed in the recycling. It was only when the contract was taken over by another company that the soft plastic was allowed. Now, under the new contractor, it isn’t allowed anymore. So it’s not like we’ve been allowed to put it into the recycling forever. It’s only been a short time.

So that’s it. I could have resolved things with a phone call, but having done these things off and on for close to 50 years, sometimes you just start typing when something bugs you and then you find out you should have made the phone call first. This is one of those times.

It’s important to try and be fair. The City workers are often the abuse of so much crap. They often don’t have the opportunity to fight back and give their side. So we have to try and give the right information out. I didn’t. Consider my crow eaten.